Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

Santini has better mobility on the back end than I expected. Maybe he can end up a mcdonaugh lite.

I watched his first 3 shifts and this is what stuck out to me. The USNDT does not produce slow players - players who don't read the game well, players who don't have instincts in the offensive zone, sure, but guys who don't skate well, no. We should know this already.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

Hockey Prospect's Black Book has DiChiara listed as 6'5, 215 and had this to say on him as an overager in this past draft:

Frank is a strong kid who posted 30 goals and added 30 more assists. His feet are getting better all the time and he is really strong on the puck. He has a pro shot and a quick release to along with it. He is good along the walls down low and is effective when he gets pucks on his tape in the slot.

Quotable: “This is a player I like in the late rounds. There is some good elements to his game.” - Mark Edwards

Here is his overtime winning goal to clinch the Clark Cup (USHL) championship this past season:

Edited July 10, 2013 by thefiestygoat

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

I've been able to figure out who 6 of the FA invitees are to prospect camp via twitter. I'm sure there are others but we'll have to wait till the roster comes out tomorrow. The 6 are LW Frank DiChiara, G Jake Hildebrand, LW Nick Saracino, RD Zach Tolkinen, LD Oleg Yevenko, and LW Conor Sheary.

Link to post

Share on other sites

I've been able to figure out who 6 of the FA invitees are to prospect camp via twitter. I'm sure there are others but we'll have to wait till the roster comes out tomorrow. The 6 are LW Frank DiChiara, G Jake Hildebrand, LW Nick Saracino, RD Zach Tolkinen, LD Oleg Yevenko, and LW Conor Sheary.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

Great work Fiesty. Thanks! 2 FW's 6'-5" and 6'7"? Big dudes. I doubt this is the venue to make the evaluation, but maybe there's a diamond in the rough?

Well the Devils get more familiar with Albany's leading scorer Joe Whitney this way in 2011. I think it's a nice way to get a look at some of the NCAA upperclassman before they potentially hit the NCAA FA market after this upcoming season. Plus the somewhat local connection to kids like DiChiara and of course the Providence connection is nice even if it doesn't amount to much.

Amongst the current NCAA, CHL, KHL, and recently turned pro prospects, this is whom I have seen confirmation on attending:

Confirmed

C Blake Coleman

D Steven Santini

LW Miles Wood

G Anthony Brodeur

C Graham Black

LW Myles Bell

D Reece Scarlett

D Seth Helgeson

LW Stefan Matteau

NCAA players have to pay their way to attend which makes them harder to predict. A lot of the guys I don't list may be coming, I just haven't seen the confirmation. Couldn't find any info on Gavrus (KHL). Have to imagine all the CHL players will be in attendance (unless Ben Johnson has legal issues). I've only been able to find confirmation on a few of them so far but they should be there on the rosters tomorrow.

So if we go by history, there should be about 3-6 more FA invitees we don't know about yet. Have to guess there may be some CHL kids since the 6 we know about are all from the NCAA. Also some of the Jersey kids who've attended in recent years don't have twitters so info on them is hard to come by.

Brandon displays excellent leg movement. He is very quick and drops down to make saves, recovering quickly. He also moves very well in the crease. His reflexes are strong and he has shown good recovery ability to make those highlight reel saves when it appears a sure goal will be scored. We still see the occasional mental lapse on goals that should not get past him, but generally he is able to let those bad goals go and not let it snowball into something bigger. Brandon has shown good puck skills and is capable of playing the puck well. Rebound control is likely the biggest area of improvement for Brandon, not only the number in rebounds but in directing them away from the scoring area. Brandon is still a very interesting prospect.

Quotable: “He may finally get his chance to play a large number of games next season. Looks like the rookie tender the Attack drafted will back him up.” - Mark Edwards

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

I figured it's still too early to start a 2014 draft thread so I figured I'd post here. Sounds like Claude Lemieux's son Brendan is impressing at Canada's Ivan Hlinka camp. He'll be with Barrie (OHL) this year. Wasn't mentioned in the Hockey Prospect Black Book or on the CSS Future List so I suppose he profiles as a mid round guy at this moment in time. Still early and it is important to keep in mind he has a birth date late in the season.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

Chris Peters of the United States of Hockey has a WJC Camp Preview. He'll have a player by player preview up soon. The US will start with 2 teams before making cuts and reducing down to 1 team for the remainder of the exhibition schedule.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

Steven Santini (Boston College) — After the performance Santini had at last year’s U18 World Championship, I think he’d be an extremely hard guy to cut. He received the directorate award as the tournament’s best defenseman without registering a single point. He was a minutes-eating, quick, physical shut-down defender who dominated opposing team’s top lines, with opponents scoring only twice total in the tournament with Santini on the ice. After two years at the NTDP, Santini’s defensive game has grown to a near-elite level. The only guy I’ve seen dominate in a defensive role at the U18s like he did was Seth Jones the year prior. Not trying to compare, but that’s how good Santini was at the U18 Worlds. There is pretty much no offense to speak of in Santini’s game, but he has proven what he does defensively is really valuable. He’ll have some tough competition, but if Santini plays up to his ability, he’s going to be a really strong candidate to make the club. New Jersey Devils (2013, 2nd Rd., 42nd overall)

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

Easy there hoss. It helps when you have two first ballot Hall of Fame defenseman playing in the prime of their careers. I'm also sure you can take the best case scenario for every teams' prospects and conclude they can be similar to any successful team you want from recent years. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

Exactly why I said similarly. NJ just doesn't have the skill up front to win a lot of games by 2 or 3. I can see them trying to win low scoring games. It is the way the team seems to be going.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

I wonder if Santini will ever be able to develop some offense in his game. It seems like some of the tools may be there (he's a good skater, appears to have good vision and passing skills, not sure about his shot), but some guys just aren't big points guys. I won't get my hopes up too high from seeing the name Seth Jones mentioned in his description, but I'm excited to see how he turns out.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

Stefan Matteau (Rimouski Oceanic) — USA Blue — A lot of eyes will be on Matteau, who played in 17 NHL games last season with the New Jersey Devils. His status for next season is very much up in the air. He could make the Devils, play in the AHL or skate for the Rimouski Oceanic in the QMJHL after an offseason trade. Matteau is a real wild card for a lot of reasons. He unceremoniously parted ways with the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada last year while the club was still competing in the playoffs. On the ice, Matteau has had a penchant for bad penalties, which might be the exact reason he was left off last year’s roster after making it to the final cuts. There’s also the fact that Matteau has dual citizenship with Canada, and has yet to play in an IIHF event to lock him into his national team service. So there’s maybe a little added pressure to bring him to ensure he’s in the U.S. system for good. That’s never a good enough reason to use a roster spot, but it’s a factor. Matteau is quite good, though. He has a solid power game, plays physically, but his offense needs to come along a bit more. I think he’d be a force at the WJC, if given the chance. The big thing right now is can he behave himself and not disrupt the team? Can he avoid the penalty trouble that’s plagued him for years? These are the questions he’ll have to continually answer. He’s potentially high-risk, high-reward, but it wouldn’t be as tough a choice if he wasn’t worth the trouble. We’ll see how this plays out in camp and throughout the season. Heck, if he makes the Devils out of camp, it’s a dead issue anyway. New Jersey Devils (2012, 1st Rd., 29th overall)

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

I wonder if Santini will ever be able to develop some offense in his game. It seems like some of the tools may be there (he's a good skater, appears to have good vision and passing skills, not sure about his shot), but some guys just aren't big points guys. I won't get my hopes up too high from seeing the name Seth Jones mentioned in his description, but I'm excited to see how he turns out.

From what I've read and the little I've seen, I doubt he develops much of an offensive game if you judge it by points. I do think he can contribute by helping the breakout out of the zone and making the right passes in the offensive zone. Kind of one of those guys whose under-appreciated because his point totals aren't up there but he makes the right plays. I hope he breaks the stereotype of "defensive defenseman" since he is a very fluid player and not an anchor out there at all.